Marcel Lal elected Franchise Council of Australia chair

The Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) board has elected ERA’s Marcel Lal as chair and Concept Eight’s Callum Mackay as deputy chair for a one-year term. The appointments follow two years of governance changes, with the council now turning its attention towards education, regional engagement and wider franchisee participation.

Experienced board members take the lead

Both Lal and Mackay have served on the FCA board for two years, bringing continuity to the leadership transition as the council moves beyond its initial governance reset.

Lal is global group chief development officer at ERA and brings 18 years of experience in the franchising community. He also featured in the Top 30 Franchise Executives report in 2019 and 2023. Mackay takes the deputy chair position from Concept Eight.

The appointments were reported by RetailNews Asia on 18 October. Their one-year term places the new leadership team in charge as the association seeks to translate its revised governance arrangements into broader engagement with members.

For Australia’s franchising community, the central development is not simply a change of chair. The appointments accompany a stated shift in priorities, from stabilising the organisation towards expanding its education work and strengthening its public visibility.

Governance reset broadens representation

The reconstituted FCA board includes three elected women directors and two dedicated franchisee positions. Those features form part of changes following a two-year campaign to reset internal controls and restore confidence across regional networks.

The leadership transition also follows constitutional adjustments intended to balance voting power between major franchisors and local store operators. Earlier governance friction had prompted calls for broader representation, leading to the board restructure.

Dedicated franchisee positions give operator representation an explicit place within that structure. However, board composition and wider member participation are distinct issues: the council’s next phase also involves encouraging more operators to engage directly with its activities.

Lal said the council had completed its initial stabilisation agenda. Resources will now move towards education and raising the visibility of the franchising community.

That change of emphasis provides a useful distinction between what has already happened and what comes next. The board and constitutional changes underpin the reset; broader outreach and participation remain priorities for the new leadership term.

Regional operators move into focus

The council plans to use its revised framework to expand outreach to multi-unit operators across regional retail corridors. Mackay emphasised that increasing direct participation by unit operators is central to stabilising the membership base.

That focus connects the governance changes with the day-to-day businesses the association seeks to represent. Franchisee involvement is being addressed both through dedicated board positions and through plans for engagement beyond the boardroom.

The proposed approach starts with targeted regional programmes before directing delegates towards larger gatherings. It places local participation ahead of the national event calendar, rather than treating attendance at a major convention as the only point of contact.

For franchisees considering involvement, the distinction matters. Regional engagement offers a different setting from a national gathering, while the council’s stated emphasis on direct operator participation gives members a clear subject on which to assess its progress.

State events lead towards the national convention

State-level events are expected to test the FCA’s revised membership strategy and help build attendance towards the upcoming National Franchising Convention.

The convention therefore sits within a wider engagement plan, rather than standing alone as the principal objective. Regional programmes and state events are intended to support the route towards that larger gathering.

The practical test for the new leadership will be how its stated priorities translate into opportunities for members to participate. Education, regional outreach and franchisee engagement are the areas the council has identified for its next phase.

Practical takeaway: Franchisees and franchisors interested in contributing should watch for FCA regional programmes and state events, and use those opportunities to raise their education needs and priorities for representation.